by James Bee
Nothing happened.
“Shit. It’s barred. Stand back a bit, boys,”Raul said, lifting his hammer above his head. With the practiced swing of a man who’d spent his life hitting things, he smashed into the door. The sound of cracking wood echoed and bounced off of the mountains. Gerald looked around, sure that someone would hear. Hear and come running.
Two more swings and the door crashed inward. A sturdy kick, and it fell in completely. Raul rushed in, holding his hammer in front of him. Preparing himself for what could be inside, Gerald followed.
“Stand back!”a reedy voice yelled. Inside it was dark, with only a couple of candles to light the room. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Gerald became aware of a figure cringing against the back wall. He was holding a sword in his hand, though it was clear he was more used to wielding a quill.
In a flash of movement, Raul smashed the blade out the guildmaster’s hands and threw him to the floor.
“HELP! HELP! HEplgh…”The tall miner stuffed a rag in the smaller man’s mouth, cutting off his cries. Blane rushed over to help restrain the merchant’s flailing limbs.
The room was in a state of disarray, parchment strewn all over the room. A roaring fire in the corner had stacks of papers around it. Gerald walked over and carefully moved them away. He’d need all the evidence he could to tighten the noose around Rolan’s neck.
“Trying to get rid of some documents, eh?”Gerald said, kneeling down until his face was nearly level with the merchant’s. “You’re not going to squirm out of this one. I’m going to drag you all the way back to the capital. Introduce you to the dungeons and their masters. Dreary place, but I think you’ll find the queen’s inquisitors are particularly inventive in finding ways to pass the time.”Blane finished tying the bonds, and he and Raul lifted the thin merchant to his feet.
“Best leave here now. Any moment here is another that we could be discovered,”Blane said.
“Aye.”Gerald quickly looked around the small room. No doubt he’ll have the rest of the gold hidden somewhere. No time to look for it now. Rolan’ll have to do for a hostage.
With Rolan between them, Blane and Raul bustled out of the room. Following close behind, Gerald’s heart began to beat faster and faster. The closer the end got, the farther away it seemed. If we’re spotted, it’s not likely we’ll make it back to the tunnel. Not carrying Rolan between us.
“If we’re spotted, slit his throat and run for it,”Gerald said. Rolan made a loud noise of protest.
“Shut it. It’d be a mercy killing you. A quick, clean death is more than you can hope for now, snake,”Blane growled at him. Distant sounds told them that the fake battle was still underway. I’ll have to buy Orland a barrel of ale for this. Staying in the shadows as much as possible, they headed straight of the tunnel. Though the prospect of scraping his way back through the suffocating darkness was not a pleasant one, Gerald would be glad to be rid of the camp.
They were nearly there when the man spotted them. He was alone, running back into camp. At first the man’s panicked eyes slid over them. Then he skidded to a halt, openly gawking. Gerald and the others froze, and for a moment they all just stood staring at each other. Hand on his sword, Gerald judged the distance between them. No way I could catch him in time. No chance at all. Any moment the miner would turn and race back, bringing with him fifty scared, angry men. All would be lost.
Instead, the man blinked and looked back the way he came. Frantically, he waved them away before taking off and running deeper into the camp. Looks like these men have already tired of Rolan’s leadership.
“Keep going!”Gerald said, and the foursome was off again. The hut came into view and they rushed into the welcoming dimness. Flying down the stairs, they burst into the storeroom. Immediately, swords were held up to their necks.
“It’s us!”Blane yelled, and the blades were pulled back.
“Thank the gods! We were beginning to think you were taken!”one of the men exclaimed.
“Very nearly,”Gerald muttered. “Let us be off before our luck runs dry,”One by one, they reentered the tunnel, Blane pushing Rolan ahead of him. Finally, Gerald was alone in the storeroom. Only the fear of being left behind and having to travel alone drove him to reenter the choking darkness.
35
Chapter 35
One Week Later
“You sure you don’t want to stay? No doubt the women in the capital will have already forgotten all about you,”Gerald said, folding the parchment he’d been writing in half. Pouring hot wax over it, he waited a moment before pressing his seal into the quickly congealing slime.
“I’m sure. There’s nothing for me here. I wouldn’t be able to stay for long anyway. Too many bad memories, too many ghosts,”Orland said, looking downcast. Gerald’s throat tightened the way it did whenever he thought about that day. Kayl’s death had sunk in, slowly and painfully, like a wasting sickness.
“Kayl deserved better than to be buried up in some frozen village,”Gerald said, choking on the words.
“He wouldn’t have cared much, I don’t think. He’d just be glad you got the bastard,”Orland replied, tears glistening in his eyes.
“Kayl killed him. I just brought the end sooner.”They sat in silence for a time, lost in grief. A hole had been torn in both of them, one that would not never quite heal over. A scar would mar their souls forever. At first it would tear and bleed easily, at the slightest provocation. However, over time it would harden, and only a rare occurrence would reopen it. Such is the way of loss.
“Oh. Hello.”Felicia was standing in the doorway. The look on her face was one of someone who’d just accidentally walked in on a private, intimate moment. “I didn’t know you were in here, Orland. I was going to talk to Gerald for a moment, if he’s available.”Gerald noticed her look of discomfort. She was wringing her hands as though working up to say something. A bandage was wrapped tightly around her upper arm. From what he’d gathered, she’d been running arrows for the defenders and taken a stray shaft. It seems that hardly anyone made it out unharmed. His own shoulder was still causing him pain. Likely it would do so for the rest of his life. He’d be carrying wounds from Redstone until they buried him in the dirt.
“Of course. Please sit down,”Gerald said, now feeling as awkward and uncomfortable as when they’d first met. He had little doubt that she knew how he’d felt about her, though she hid any such knowledge.
“Oh, there’s no need for all this drama and seriousness! Felicia wants to come with us!”Orland said jovially. Eyes narrowed, Felicia pursed her lips.
“I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself.”Orland reddened and raised his hands in apology. “I wanted to formally ask your permission … as you’re the commander now. I know it’s not usual for a civilian to accompany a military company, but I promise I won’t slow you down.”
Gerald waved her comments away.“You can’t slow us down any more than he can,”he said, jutting his chin out at the pouting nobleman. “Of course you may accompany us. It’ll be slow going anyhow. The men have been through too much. We’ll take a easier pace on the way back.”Felicia slumped back in her chair, relieved. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to leave? This place is your home,”Gerald asked, as gently as he could manage.
“It was my home. Redstone died with my brother. There’s nothing for me here but my family’s ghosts.”Felicia’s eyes grew watery, and Orland put his hand on her knee. “I need to see the world, find somewhere better than this.”
“It’s too bad we’re heading to the capital then,”Gerald said with a wry smile.
“How much worse than here can it be? I doubt you have to worry about being dragged off into the forest and murdered!”Felicia protested.
“True enough. Though matters are simpler here. The Sanish at least have the courtesy to try to stab you in the front,”Gerald said. Back to the capital…The thought didn't give him as much joy as he thought it would. Back to endless guard duty, to the stares an
d mutterings and open derision. Back to being an outcast, an embarrassment, a unwelcome spectre roaming the palace halls.
“Why don’t you stay? Surely Orland could manage escorting Rolan back to the city. Why leave? The people could use your help,”Felicia asked. Stay in Redstone? Gerald had to admit that the notion was tempting. Since the battle, people had been acting differently toward him, stopping on the streets to hand him a loaf of bread or a piece of fruit. More than that was the respect, and even admiration. Even Blane had been less dismissive of him. It was what he’d been chasing his whole life. Acceptance given freely. He was intoxicated by it.
Yet he knew that he too could not stay.
“I cannot, any more than you can. My life is not here, though it would be simpler and more pleasant. I must return to the king and queen and report what has happened here. To shirk that duty would be a betrayal to Kayl and everyone else here who died.”Gerald gripped the table tightly as he stood. “Nor will I consent to stay hidden away for the convenience of others. I am going back.”Though I do not wish to.
“Right then, I guess it’s settled. The three of us will brave the road back together, leaving Redstone poorer for our absences!”Orland said with an admirable attempt at cheerfulness. For his friend’s sake, Gerald smiled and patted him on the back.
“Perhaps we’ll get onto the road and keep on, straight past the capital. For now, let us get on our way. A great distance lies ahead of us, and wasting daylight is not going to bring us any closer,”Gerald said, pulling his cloak around him.
Outside, the town was in a state of frenzy. Men and women were milling about, hurrying to complete their tasks. The chaos was centred around the military column. Though it could barely be considered such, as reduced as it was. Parcels of food were being pressed into the protesting hands of soldiers. Though months of hardship lay ahead of them, the townsfolk gave freely, and often aggressively. Gerald could also see many tears shed between some of the soldiers and younger women and men.
At the head of the company, Frothy stood, saddled and packed. Two men stood beside the horse.
“Suppose you’ll be off soon then?”Raul asked, holding out his arm. Gerald grasped it and hugged him. The miner had been an inexhaustible force during the past week, helping the townsfolk rebuild while also managing the mine.
“Soon enough, I suppose,”Gerald said.
“No sense in dawdling about,”Blane said gruffly. Gerald put out his hand, and the older man grasped it. “I’ll be sad to see you go, bastard. Going to be tough to find someone else to blame.”
Gerald smiled, pulling two envelopes out of his pocket.“That’ll have to be you, Blane. You’re the mayor now, at least for a little while. Though I’ll do my best to see you kept on.He handed Blane one of the envelopes.
“Mayor? Shit on that,”Blane said, though he took he envelope anyway. “I suppose I can manage things until they can find another southern prick to send up here.”The old soldier winked at Gerald as he pocketed the envelope. “What’s that one for?”
“Raul. He’s in charge of the mine for the foreseeable future,”Gerald said, handing the other envelope over to the miner.
“Me? Why?”A stunned look spread across his face.
“Well …mainly because there isn’t really anyone else to do it that can be trusted. No one, actually. Doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve it. The town would have been lost if not for you and your men, and retaking the mine a whole lot bloodier,”Gerald answered. Raul sucked his teeth before also tucking the envelope away. “There’s two letters in those envelopes. One is me conferring authority onto you in the name of the king and queen, as well as all the money that was taken from the guild. It is to be used in the rebuilding of Redstone and the welfare of its people. The other details the events of the past month. Both are signed and sealed by me. If anything happens on my journey back home, you must see to it that one of those copies gets back to the capital. They may be your only defences against the wrath of the Crown. I wish I could give you more than a piece of parchment and my promise, but I’m afraid it’s all the protection that I can offer you.”He’d meant his words to be reassuring, but their effect was anything but. Both men looked a good deal more worried than they had before. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Though they deserve to know that there is still a danger. Conspiracies against the Crown tend to have bloody ends, even for the blameless.
“Are we in any danger? You know that we had nothing to do with Rolan’s betrayal!”Raul said vehemently.
“I do. There’s not a doubt in my mind, but I’m afraid I’m hardly the most trusted person in the capital. I’ll defend both of you, but my word only reaches so far. Best to take preparations, whatever they might be. With any luck, forged weapons we’re bringing back will convince them of your loyalty. No matter what, someone else will be sent up, and they’ll not be as pleasant as me.”The three of them shared a laugh, albeit a forced one. The worry was plain of the faces of the two men, and Gerald felt guilt for putting it there. Still better to be over-worried than under-prepared.
“I suppose we should pray for your safe return then,”Blane said, offering his hand once more.
“Aye. Luck then, Gerald,”Raul said, punching him on the arm.
“Luck to both of you,”Gerald said before stepping up to mount Frothy. As he watched the backs of the two men, he found that he was sad to be leaving. Spurring Frothy around, he looked critically at the column. Too few. Barely a fourth of the men that they’d journeyed up with would be returning. The rest were dead or too wounded to travel. Gerald would have preferred to wait for them to heal, but he knew he could not. Rumours would be spreading, despite the town’s remote location. Rumours that would soon reach the queen’s ears. He had to get to the capital quickly, before they spread too far.
At the back were three wagons, two carrying metal, the last men. Rolan stared out balefully at him from swollen eyes as he stopped beside him. His face was a mess of bruises and small cuts, some still oozing blood. I might be doing him a favour taking him away from the justice the town would inflict upon him. A gag was securely fastened in the merchant’s mouth, and he was chained by the arms and legs to the wagon. Beside him the former chief of the Sanish was secured in the same way.
“I’m afraid it’ll be an uncomfortable journey, my lords,”Gerald said. Boasting and gloating may have been in poor taste, but he couldn’t help himself. Not after all the verbal abuse he’d suffered at the hands of the man. Kayl is dead because of him. “Though you’ll look back on it with fondness once you begin your stay in the dungeons. It won’t be quick, your death. They’ll draw it out, for weeks, maybe months. You’ll beg for the end before it comes, if they leave you your tongue. Perhaps luck will favour you and the queen will keep you alive as an example of the consequence of betraying the Crown and killing its subjects.”Rolan mumbled something his gag, though if it was threatening or pleading, Gerald couldn’t tell. Casually, he backhanded the former guild master across the face, sending him sprawling back into the wagon.
To his surprise, the act gave him little satisfaction. Abusing Rolan wouldn’t bring back Kayl or Felicia’s brother, or anyone else who died because of the merchant’s greed. Vengeance on the man wouldn’t fill the holes that he’d created. It would only stop him from harming anyone else. That would have to be enough.
Gerald rode over to the other wagons, both much larger than the first. Crates filled them to capacity, nearly spilling over. All the weapons that could be found and salvaged had been packed inside. Four of the strongest-looking mules had been strapped to the front of each to haul the weighty cargo. No doubt they’ll cause us no small amount of grief in the journey home, Gerald thought as he checked the beast’s harnesses.
There was no doubt that it would be worth the effort to bring the steel back. Gerald had little doubt what would happen to him if he arrived home empty-handed. Redstone was nothing, just an inconsequential village tucked away in the mountains. Only the ore it pulled from the ear
th and forged into steel mattered to the kingdom. As long as he showed that it was safe, he might escape punishment. Perhaps he would even be allowed to regain command of his company. Or he might be put in charge of what was left of Kayl’s men. Though the prospect filled him with little joy. He’d never be able to fill Kayl’s shadow, nor be half the commander his friend had been. Most likely he’d suggest the company be disbanded and the men reassigned when they returned. Casualties had been too high, too many friends lost.
“Ready?”Orland asked, riding up beside him. Jerking out of his stupor, Gerald nodded. No point in dawdling.
“Let’s go home,”Gerald said, though he doubted he would find much of a home at the end of the road.
36
Chapter 36
“Fuck me, I could use a drink,”Orland said, shifting uncomfortably in his saddle.
“I have nearly fallen off of my horse in shock,”Gerald said dryly.
“You know, there’s a tavern not too far from here, I think.”Gerald stared at him blankly. “What are the odds they remember us?”Orland said, winking.
“Didn’t take ’em long last time,”Despite himself, Gerald was tempted. After a week on the road, some ale and food cooked by someone other than himself sounded good.
“What are we talking about?”Felicia trotted up behind them, the midafternoon sun silhouetting her. Though he still felt a pang when he looked at her, Gerald had managed to force his feelings down.
“Orland wants to go drinking.”
Felicia’s face lit up.“That would be lovely! What’s the problem?”
“Gerald’s afraid of some country bumpkins!”Orland’s smirk turned to mock pain as Felicia struck at him.